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The First Purge (2018)

In this prequel to the Purge series, a new governing body, known as the New Founding Fathers of America, decides hold an experimental 12-hour “purge” period on Staten Island. Due to growing unrest fueled by crime and economic crises, it is determined that society needs this “anything goes” experiment to act as a catharsis for the chaos gripping the nation.

The story opens with the NFFA actively recruiting residents of Staten Island to be paid to stay on the island and/or be actively involved in the purge to make money off killing others. There are three main characters, a drug kingpin named Dmitri (Y’lan Noel), an activist named Nya (Lex Scott Davis), and her brother Isaiah (Joivan Wade). Each decides to stay on Staten Island during the inaugural purge for various reasons. Isaiah is particularly interesting because he stays to go after this addict who tried to slice him up before the purge began, but the only problem is that Isaiah is not a killer at heart.

The Purge starts and the killing begins, but not nearly enough for the NFFA mastermind. It is revealed that mercenaries posing as a multitude of gangs show up on Staten Island for the sole purpose of making the First Purge a success.

It was about as entertaining as the last one, but I kind of feel like they need to move in a different direction with this series. Rather than go back and show how it all began, show the aftermath of how it all ends. Or maybe in the next one, they could do like an Escape from New York type of thing where they decide to restrict access to Staten Island and make it a permanent Purge zone. Maybe even set up Purge zones around the country. Poor people would be forced to live there and then rich people could go hunt them. Why don’t I get paid to write this stuff?